Pollini

Jonathan Saunders has now had a chance to get his feet under the table at Pollini. Last season, he said he'd only had a couple of weeks to prepare his debut show, and this season proved that he's working out what the identity of a house that has its origins in traditional Italian footwear might be. He took a couple of Pollini heritage products—its riding boots and a baroque-print silk scarf—as a starting point for a small collection that brought some of the energy of London design to the Milan runway. Equestrian-themed jackets caught the big-shouldered silhouette of the moment, paired with surreal-heeled suede and leather riding-boot derivatives. Best were Saunders' cute interpretations of the scarf motif—curlicued scrolls used on little silk print dresses or cut out and appliquéd on cashmere shifts—evidence of his talent as a textile designer.